The present invention relates generally to restraint devices. Stated more particularly, the present patent discloses and protects a combined seat belt cover and pillow arrangement for improving the safety, comfort, and enjoyment of automobile occupants, particularly child passengers.
Even the casual observer will be aware that restraint systems for use in automobiles have undergone an effectively continuous evolution with the ever present goals of improving the safety and comfort of vehicular occupants. Early automobiles with no restraint systems eventually gave way to automobiles with simple lap belts designed for keeping the occupant generally in place in his or her seat during a vehicular collision or other rapid change in velocity or orientation.
Eventually, designers of automobile safety systems realized that merely fixing an occupant in place was insufficient; it became clear that restraining the occupants upper torso against lateral and forward movement was also necessary. With this, a number of designers and inventors designed systems for restraining occupants"" upper torsos in addition to their midsections. These systems typically have fallen into two categories. The first is the provision of a supplementary diagonal shoulder belt that is functionally separate from the vehicle""s lap belt. The second type of system provides upper torso restraint by means of a three-point safety belt system wherein a shoulder belt and a lap belt are mutually coupled to a first buckle element that can be drawn across an occupant""s body and engaged with a second buckle element.
More recently, air bag cushioning and restraint systems have been disclosed with the intent of supplementing belt-type restraint systems. Under a typical air bag system, a bag element is retained in a folded configuration in a vehicle""s steering wheel for the driver and in the vehicle""s dashboard for the front seat passenger. Still more recent developments have yielded inflatable elements disposed lateral to an occupant""s head. In each of these air bag systems, a vehicular collision will trigger an inflation mechanism that will nearly instantaneously inflate the bag element thereby interposing the inflated bag element between the occupant and hard surfaces of the occupant""s vehicle and external objects such as other vehicles and environmental structures.
The above-summarized developments in the field of occupant restraint systems unquestionably have usefully cooperated to establish the present state of the art. Vehicular occupants have gone from having no protection in the event of a collision other than the actual body of the vehicle to having the possibility of multi-point restraints in combination with air-filled cushions. With this, present-day passengers undoubtedly enjoy markedly safer travel options than those of years past.
Nonetheless, one knowledgeable in the art will be aware that, as with most fields of endeavor, there remain a number of needs left unmet in the art of occupant restraint systems. A number of these needs become particularly apparent when standard occupant restraint systems, which are nearly without exception designed for use by adult-sized and aged occupants, are attempted to be used relative to younger vehicular occupants.
One problem with employing standard belt-type occupant restraint systems relative to children is that the tightly woven, narrow shoulder belt often tends toward passing over the child""s head or neck. With this, the shoulder belt oftentimes is slipped behind the child, placed under the child""s arm, or simply allowed to rest against the child""s neck and chin. Of course, each practice is less than ideal. Placing the shoulder belt behind the child obviates its effectiveness while placing the belt under his or her shoulder not only reduces the belt""s effectiveness but also places the belt in a dangerous position where it can be driven into the child""s abdomen or ribs during an impact or the like. At least as disadvantageous is the practice of leaving the narrow belt pressing against the child""s throat, which can lead to choking, chafing, and discomfort even absent a collision.
Even in light of the aforedescribed adversities, it is beyond question that a child""s wearing of his or her seat belt in any manner is preferable to wearing no seat belt at all. While children wearing seat belts under the less than advantageous circumstances summarized above can lead to discomfort and certain injuries, wearing no seat belt at all is typically even more dangerous since it subjects the child to being ejected from the vehicle and to being violently thrown about within and against the interior of the vehicle.
All too often, however, children forego wearing their seat belts. Often it may be due to the discomfort and awkwardness discussed above that results in part from the belt""s being designed primarily for use by adults and in part from aspects of the typical belt""s design that make it uncomfortable or disadvantageous for all vehicular occupants. Just as often, a child""s failure to wear his or her seat belt is the result of inadvertence. In other words, children often simply forget to fasten their seat belts.
In light of the foregoing, it becomes apparent that children would be well served by a device that would help to make their wearing of seat belts safer and more comfortable. Just as clearly, one will appreciate that there is a need for a device for motivating children to fasten their seat belts. On a similar note, it is clear that a device providing an active reminder to children to fasten their seat belts would also enhance child safety.
Advantageously, the present invention is founded on the basic object of providing an arrangement for use relative to seat belts that provides a solution to each of the needs set forth above while providing a number of still further benefits and advantages.
A more particular object of the invention is to provide an arrangement that covers the narrow standard seat belt strap to provide a broader and softer surface pressing against a vehicular occupant.
An incidental object of the invention is to provide an arrangement that improves the comfort and safety of vehicular occupants, particularly children.
A further object of the invention is to provide a combined seat belt cover and pillow that motivates vehicular occupants, particularly children, to fasten their safety belts.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a combined seat belt cover and pillow that actively reminds vehicular occupants, children in particular, to affix their safety belts.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a combined seat belt cover and pillow that can be easily and conveniently removed and replaced relative to a vehicular seat belt.
An even further object of the invention is to provide a combined seat belt cover and pillow that can be adjusted in position relative to a vehicular seat belt thereby to accommodate vehicular occupants of a variety of sizes.
Of course, these and further objects and advantages of the invention would be readily obvious not only to one skilled in the art who reviews the present disclosure and the accompanying drawing figures but also to one who has an opportunity to take advantage of an embodiment of the present invention.
In accomplishing the aforementioned objects, a most basic embodiment of the present invention for a combined seat belt cover and pillow is founded on an elongate seat belt cover with a first end that is coupled to a pillow and a second end. In preferred embodiments, the combined seat belt cover and pillow can comprise a simulation of any one of a number of different animals or structures. Where the combined seat belt cover and pillow simulates an animal, the pillow can simulate a head and the elongate seat belt cover can simulate a body of the animal. A tail can be fixed to and extend from the second end of the elongate seat belt cover. Also, a set of simulative front legs can be coupled to the elongate seat belt cover adjacent to the first end thereof while a set of simulative rear legs can be coupled to the elongate seat belt cover adjacent to the second end thereof.
The pillow can have a pair of simulative ears coupled to opposite sides thereof, a pair of simulative eyes coupled to a central portion thereof, a simulative nose coupled near a distal end thereof, and a simulative tongue coupled to the distal end thereof.
The simulative front legs can form a first widened portion of the elongate seat belt cover while the simulative rear legs can form a second widened portion of the elongate seat belt cover. Ideally, the first and second widened portions can be somehow reinforced or rigidified with a resiliently deformable material to disperse further the force of the shoulder belt against the chest and abdomen of the vehicular occupant, which can be particularly advantageous in a collision or rapid braking situation where shoulder belts not encased in the combined seat belt cover and pillow often tend to be driven into and to injure vehicular occupants, particularly children.
Even further, a speaker can be incorporated into the pillow or the elongate seat belt cover. By means well known in the art, the speaker can be crafted to provide audible communications to the vehicular occupants. For example, the speaker could be designed to play songs, stories, or other entertaining communications. These communications could be triggered automatically upon a movement of the pillow or they could be triggered by a vehicular occupant""s triggering of a switch. Even more advantageously, the speaker could be designed to provide a reminder to the vehicular occupants to fasten their seat belt arrangements. Still further, a small item imitating the simulated structure of the combined seat belt cover and pillow can be tucked into a pocket that is included on the elongate seat belt cover.
With certain embodiments of the present invention for a combined seat belt cover and pillow generally described, one will appreciate that the foregoing discussion broadly outlines the more important features of the invention merely to enable a better understanding of the detailed description that follows and to instill a better appreciation of the inventor""s contribution to the art. Before any particular embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it must be made clear that the following details of construction, descriptions of geometry, and illustrations of inventive concepts are mere examples of the many possible manifestations of the invention.